Electric lighting fixture



Feb. 23, 1954 E D- TlLLsoN 2,670,429

ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE Arr'y Patented Feb. 23, 1954 ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE Edwin D. Tillson, Evanston, Ill., assigner to Lighting'Y Products, Inc., Highland Park, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application December 21, 1949, serial No. 134,301

longitudinallouvers as s hWl1in. Ei g-.z15 .r Fig. 3 is. atransyerse:elevatienei@neef the 7 Claims.

This invention relates in general to an electric lighting fixture and is more particularly described as a shielding louver type of fixture adapted to be used With straight tubular lamps.

In the cellular type of louver construction for shielding the brightness of electric lamps, it is diicult to clean the ordinary louver blades or surfaces, and they are either removable as a composite grid or the parts are secured together so that the separate surfaces are not easily accessible for repair, replacement, adjustment, or cleaning.

If the louver strips are made of ordinary strap material, they are easily bent and have no rigidity for the attachment of other parts or else the louver strips are rigidly attached together as by soldering or spot Welding so that an entire grid must be inserted or removed as a unit.

The present invention overcomes these objections by providing separate transverse and longitudinal louver blades which are preferably stiffened by curving or embossing them transversely to add rigidity and they are separately mounted both as to the transverse and longitudinal members so that any one of them may be separately removed Without necessarily disturbing any of the others. A

An important object of the invention is in the provision of an electric lighting fixture in which the blades or shielding units both transverse and longitudinal are separately mounted and separately removable.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for locking each transverse unit to a longitudinal support.

A further object of the invention is to provide means in connection with the transverse shielding blades for engaging and mounting longitudinal shielding blades at the upper edges thereof.

Anotherobiect of the invention is to provide means for positioning and spacing the transverse louver blades so that they will be non-reversible and aligned for supporting longitudinal blades thereon.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be apparentfromthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electric lighting fixture reflector in accordance with this in- Vention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a single transverse louver and portions of thesupportand cross louvers as taken on the line 3-391 Fig.2,; and, Y.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

This invention is best understood by considering the transverse and longitudinal shielding blades as consisting of cross-sectionally curved strips of thin metal of the type which may be used for Venetian blinds, the curvature of the blades adding strength so that a light-Weight blade can be used for shielding slats of considerable length, maintaining them in straight longitudinal shape without bending flatwise and being capable of maintaining a considerable weight edgewise Without bending or deflection.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a number of cross blades IU are mounted in slots l2 of an angular holder I4 supported by a channel plate I6. Each blade ID is curved transversely in a xed arc which maintains the blade straight longitudinally and transversely without tendency to bend or to be deected under the ordinary conditions ofweight and usage. At the ends of each blade are notches I6 for receiving side pieces of a side reiiector, usually glass, plastic, or metal. Near the center of each blade is a notch I8 adapted to engage a projection 20 struck out from the surface of the channel I6 `for the purpose of locating and holding the blade in the proper position, and rendering it non-reversible.

In order to seat each blade l0 in a corresponding slot I2 of the holder, a spring lock 22 is provided comprising a strip of metal or other resilient material bent to form a sloping head 24 adapted to be inserted through an opening 25 in the blade which abuts the sloping upper portion of head to force the blade against the bottom of the slot, thus tending to firmly seat and align all cross blades. The lock has an outer portion 30 for atly engaging the outer side of the holder I4 with a terminal linger hold portion 32 for moving the lock into and out of locking position. The holder is preferably made of thin sheet metal and the inner side of the holder is engaged by a flat portion 34 of the lock, the inner and outer portions 34 and 30 holding the lock and its head 24 in engagement with the holder and holding the head 2G of the lock with respect to the opening 26 of the blade.

In order to project the lock into locking position, a bowed or curved portion 36 extends from the inner flat portion 34 and terminates in a fiat portion 38 which is secured by suitable means such 4as a fastening screw to the material of the holder M -adjacentto. the slot I2 forgthenext blade.. l

With this construction, the curved portionf tends to press the head 24 of the lock through the opening 2B of the blade maintaining it in position. To disengage the lock from the blade, the finger-hold 32 is engaged and the locking head is retracted through the opening 2E in the blade, compressing the curved portion 3B which upon release tends to return to the locking position.

One or more llongitudinal shielding vblades uit may be supported at each side of the center o'f the transverse blades Il) in an upright edge to edge position by means of a bracket 46 embracing or secured to the uppermost edge. @ne yor more of the cross blades it has one nr more brackets on each side of thecenter oftlre .cross blades depending upon the nuniber of longitudinal blades which are to be supported. This bracket may be in the form of aisheet meta-lisatidle which embraces both sides of the upper ,edge of the transverse blade and may be secured 'thereto by fastening screws or rivets 48. IOne portion -so the 'braclsetfextends above the `upper edge of the transverse blade and is formed with an'inrclined `or curved slot 550 to receive the longitudinal ibladel't therein and to f-hcild -it in relatively iapr'igfht edge to edge position with relation -to the transverseblades liti.

itis not neeessaryto have a bracket ttoneach 'o`f the `cross pieces, but iit lis usually 'suliicient if two -or more 'of the fcross pieces -lare `so provided to support the -longitudinal blades. `By 'having the 'brackets #on ftwo or more transverse blades, the engagement fo'f the longitudinal and 'transverse blades is held firm 'and prevents them from 'looseness and rattling. '-Bra'cketsto hold the -longitudinal blades may also be lsuspended cfrom the Vmei-in bodyo the l'fixturechannel.

"-Ilhe'lightiin'g xture to which this lower-sys- 'tem iis fappl-ied 'may be Isupported by one or -m'ore Jsuspending '-posts 152, each vof which is connected it'othe channel supporting member IS in'any'well known manner es by ythreading the end of the post and attaching lock nuts '54 fthereto on opposite sides -o'f xthe web of lthe channel. vI iglrting tubes 55B are supported'ab'ove Athe transverse and longitudinal blades fand 'in lconnection ywith the ichannel I6 inlany yWell known manner and when the fixtureis completed, it -is customary 4to have -side reflectors 'and 'diiusers of metal or transparent material which maybe --supported at Athe 'edges of lthe *trans-verse blades bythe notches iG.

44Vl/71th this `rxanstruction, thin transversely curved blades of Iliglit-vveigdit bute-i Iconsiderable lstreng-th are individual-ly supported inthe slots 1:2, positioned ltherein by `the projections 20 and removably held `in place by locks 22. These transverse fblades shield light `from vthe lamp or 'lamps longitudinally "of -the :fixture and if it is :also ldesired to shield the lamps in a transverse fdirection, longitudinalblades 14A may be `support- :ed fat the tops of the transverse blades Vin the brackets '46 which `-ric'le 'upon -the Aedges of 'the 'transverse blades or are secured thereto to hold the longitudinal blades in upright position. If it '-is necessary to strengthen 'either lthe 'transverse for *the llongitucii-nal 5blades "44, they may be `pro-- -vded iat their upper ledges with arib 59 either made up of the same material o'f the blade 'and turned over at 'the edge or lformed of separate material and applied 4over the edge for secured thereto in any Well known manner.

Although `only one -`longitudinal blade is shown lon each side 'of the center fof Atransverse blades. Vtwo or more longitudinal blades 4may ybe sinlarly supported at each side of the center of the 'trains- 'verse lblades Adepending somewhat Eupen the size of the fixture and the number of lamps to be shielded. The effect of rectangular cells is thus provided Without the attendant disadvantages as to cleaning, removal, Weight and replacement of the parts.

While a preferred construction has thus been described in some detail, it should be regarded by `vvay of 1estarnpleand illustration raither than as a limitation or restriction of the invention as various changes in the construction, combination and 'arrangement of the parts may be made without departing ffrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

Il.. Anelectr'icighting fixture comprising lamps and a s'hieldinglouver system therefor, the louver symem comprising 'transverse and longitudinal blades, the transverse blades having a common slotted central holder and individual means for removably securing each of the transverse blades -in one of the slots, fand longitudinal 'iilad'es extending 4'over a @plurality fo the transverse blades and 'means i1for vsupporting 'them in 4upright po sition at the nupper edges thereof parallel with fthe central holder.

2. In an electric lighting iixture, a .shielding 'l'ouver system comprising transverse .and longitudinalblfadea tlfre transverse blades being curved transversely `to ngive them 'additional longitudinal rigidity, means iat tl-1e tops of the Atransverse blades ior supporting the 'longitudinal blades :in -uprightposition at the upper-.edges of ithetrans- `verse lblades, a -central Vl'lcild'er parallel with the 'longitudinal blades having fslots vrfor receiving "the transverse blades, and locking means fin connection with the holder 'for removably engaging each foi the transverseblades and .holding .it in itsirespective'slot.

IS. Ari-electric xrii'g'litingfilaturelh'azving ashielding ouver systemiconiprising transverse and lo'n gitudinaf-l blades, the 'blades being lcurved 'transh `versely to :give them .additional longitudinal rigidity, #means secured ft'o the 'top edges fof transverse Lblades for supporting the longitudinal 2blades irl upright position 'contacting the upper edges of the transverse blades, `supporting holder `extending parallel with the longitudinal iblades iolfthe transverse blades comprising a slotted support 'into which the upper edges of the transverse blades extend, and locking means in connection with the holder movable to engage eadhof the transverse blades foi-holding it in its 'respective slot.

4. In an electric lighting iiX'ture, lamp 'shieldin'g `means therefor, comprising a longitudinal 'slotted hollow holder, transverse blades :curved transversely toextend into the :slot of the helder, a projection *in Ythe holder 'and fa corresponding notch iin the edge of 'the blade to yconnect 'it a1- Wafys the same position relative 'to the melder, and locking means in -connection 'with the Fnoldfer rfor separately -an'd removably rengaging ea'ch blade and including a perforation in the blade, `and `a slid'ab'le liead to extend tirreugh 'the perferat'ionei the blade.

5. In a lighting 'nx-ture reflector, a longitudinal `hclllovv Ysupport having "spaced transverse slots, a plurality Iof shield-ing blades each seated 1in -rone of the slots, a lock in the support for eacla blade comprising a spring pressed slide lia-ving a head at fone yend adapted tobeprejectedacressthe slot Aby the spring, and `--the blade having fan .opening through which tne'flshde entends 'to 'look 'the blade inthe slot. 1 i

6, In a reflector for a lighting xture, a longi- 5 tudinal hollow holder having spaced slots, a plurality of transverse shielding blades each seated in one of the slots, means in connection with theblade and the holder for engaging the blades in the holder in parallel upright position, and a lock for each blade comprising a perforation in the blade adjacent the slot of the holder, a locking device for each blade slidable longitudinally on the holder between the blades having opposite portions embracing the wall of the holder with `a head at one end to be projected across the slot and through the perforation of the blade, the outer portion of the locking device having a nger hold projection and the inner portion of the locking member having a resilient bend, and means for attaching the end thereof to the holder so that the bend may be compressed by the finger hold to retract the head through the perforation of the blade.

7. In a lighting fixture louver system, a plurality of transverse louver blades, means for holding the blades in parallel upright relation, brackets saddling the upper edges of the blades and having an upward projection with an upward inclined slot therein, and longitudinal louver blades each curved transversely to give it longitudinal rigidity, the lower edges of the longitudi- 6 nal blades being seated in the inclined slots to hold the longitudinal blades on top of the transverse blades substantially in a vertical edge to edge relation with respect to the transverse blades. f

EDWIN D. TILLSON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 120,544 Carter, Jr. May 14, 1940 D. 131,845 Biller Mar. 31, 1942 2,345,235 Carter, Jr. May 28, 1944 2,411,952 Biller Dec. 3, 1946 2,564,046 Altree Aug. 14, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 401,506 Great Britain Nov. 16, 1933 116,050 Australia Oct. 22, 1942 587,744 Great Britain May 7, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Illuminating Engineering, January 1947, page 59. A copy may be found in Division 69 of this office. 

